Marine SMEs Krensen, Trident Marine Electrical, and ACUA Ocean have announced a partnership agreement to develop a zero-emission liquid hydrogen marine powertrain system, according to ACUA's release.
The novel hydrogen powertrain brings together Krensen’s expertise in electric and hybrid marine propulsion technologies, Trident Marines' experience in electrical engineering and automation, and ACUA Ocean’s UK patent pending hydrogen technology.
Gloucester-based Krensen delivers world-leading control, and power distribution technology solutions with a focus on lightweight, sustainable, high-performance electric and hybrid digital electrification integration systems encompassing electric propulsion, energy storage, and regeneration.
Trident Marine Electrical has spent the last few years gaining experience as one of the UK leaders in novel marine technologies and has worked extensively across commercial and private fleets around the UK and Europe.
During the first phase of the project, ACUA Ocean recently announced the completion of the build and testing of their novel liquid hydrogen cryogenic tank, which has now received Lloyd’s Register Certification and is ready to deploy as part of the integrated hydrogen powertrain solution.
The prototype system will undergo factory acceptance testing in Lowestoft during the summer of 2023 before being fitted into ACUA Ocean’s hydrogen-powered USV for in-water testing in 2024.
The partnership is supported by funding from the UK Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CMDC2) which was launched in May 2022, funded by the Department for Transport, and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC2, the Department allocated over £14m to 31 projects supported by 121 organisations from across the UK to deliver feasibility studies and collaborative R&D projects in clean maritime solutions.